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Press Release - 4 July 2013
Kanye and Kim’s baby name is not as original as you might think
Findmypast.com.au uncovers a number of other North Wests in history
July 2013 – While the world critiques the dubious name choice of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s first born, North West, findmypast.com.au has found that the moniker is far from unique. US census data available on findmypast.com.au found thousands of records with the first name North, and over 60 entries of the combination, North West.
There are many more names based around cardinal directions of North, South, East and West including 614 instances of South (6 with the surname West), 486 of East (5 with the surname of West) and a whopping 20,844 instances of West with a cringeworthy 98 combined with the surname West (that is, West West).
UK census records also reveal a number of instances of the name North West, with the earliest recording dating all the way back to 1806.
This example reveals that celebrity parents, such as Kim and Kanye, aren’t achieving as obscure a name choice as they may have hoped. Census data available on findmypast.com.au uncovers hundreds of records of people with the same names as some of Hollywood’s most unique baby names.
Findmypast.com.au General Manager Vicki Dawson states, “Celebrities are renowned for coming up with interesting baby names. Names based around food, flowers and now cardinal directions have all made an appearance on Hollywood birth certificates. A quick look through our vast online records shows that the originality they are striving for is lost when history is examined.”
Findmypast.com.au has over 1.6 billion records spanning births, deaths, marriages and legal records. The records cover many parts of the world including Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the United States.